A Georgia jury has ordered Monsanto to pay a staggering $2.1 billion to a man who claimed his prolonged use of the company’s Roundup weedkiller caused his cancer. The award, described by his attorneys as the largest single-plaintiff personal injury verdict in the state’s history, adds another high-profile defeat for Monsanto and its parent company, Bayer AG.
The plaintiff, John Barnes, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2020 after regularly using Roundup for two decades. His legal team argued that Monsanto engaged in a decades-long campaign to suppress the dangers of its product, alleging the company knew about cancer risks tied to Roundup’s ingredients as far back as the 1980s.
Monsanto to Appeal: Calls Verdict ‘Excessive’
Despite the massive payout, Monsanto has vowed to fight the decision, calling the verdict “excessive and unconstitutional.” A company spokesperson insisted that the jury’s decision contradicts global scientific consensus.
“We disagree with the jury’s verdict, as it conflicts with the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence and the consensus of regulatory bodies and their scientific assessments worldwide,” the spokesperson stated.
Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, also emphasized that the company has secured favorable rulings in 17 of its last 25 Roundup trials and continues to defend the safety of its product.
